Early June 2023 and a fine pocket of good stable weather, combined with a decent surf forecast added to my set in stone road trip plans perfectly. The Rugby League Extravaganza that is the Magic Weekend in Newcastle is a staple event in my things to look forward to calendar. Newcastle is one incredible city and the fact that I can watch 7 matches across the Weekend including my beloved Castleford Tigers take on arch rivals Leeds Rhinos just adds to it. 63.000 Yorkshire and Lancashire folk descend clad in fancy dress and club colours for one of the friendliest and most fun sporting events you can imagine.

Even better this year was that the Surf God's were being kind too with sun and swell in prospect too. I packed my trusty Red Paddle Co Whip into the van and off I went. First stop was one of Scotland's most popular surf breaks, Belhaven Bay in Dunbar. Being half term there were plenty of people out in the brine, but being such a big beach, there is room for everyone. The Dunbar end is always smaller for surf and it gets bigger and more powerful as you move into the middle of the bay. This means that beginners can play in the small stuff while the surfers in the middle get plenty of space to hammer the lip. The 4ft waves were lovely to hit, even with the slight onshore winds. Then it was down to the Toon for the first match of the Weekend, a Friday night clash between Newcastle Thunder and Bradford Bulls.

Up and at 'em, early doors on the Saturday, I was greeted with bright blue skies and not a jot of wind. I decided to surf somewhere new, Blyth. A mile long gorgeous beach, it is backed by sand dunes with cute beach huts at the northern, Blyth end. I surfed the middle of the bay with just my self and two SUP foilers out. At low tide and being fairly shallow, it took a while to work out the wave dynamics (perfect foiling waves that look to break before gently losing form on many peaks), but once figured out I had a great session with long rides. Off to St James Park the cathedral like home of Newcastle United afterwards to enjoy three matches including an incredible shock win for Castleford!. Didn't see that one coming!.

Sunday morning and it was a fair bit chillier and overcast, especially for a 7am surf. I surfed an onshore and small swell at Tynemouth before hitting St James Park for another three matches. Tynemouth is the epicenter of surfing in North East England. Home to a thriving scene, it hosts UK national events and several pro surfers have grown up here at Longsands. It is a gorgeous beach, home to lots of eating and drinking options (including right on the beach) plus you can hire boards from Tynemouth Surf Co. Unfortunately, the surf was not firing, but there were still some fun waves to be snagged.

For those that know me, Surfing and Rugby League really are my two greatest passions, so this weekend really was me living the dream. The North East of England is home to some incredible surf breaks, inhabited by friendly, hospitable locals and highly worth a trip to.